Beach season may be long gone, but that doesn't mean lighthouse season is over — actually, it's just beginning, thanks to the annual Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey which will be conducted this Saturday, Oct. 20 and Sunday, Oct. 21 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Beginning as American lookouts for British troops, New Jersey’s roughly 40 lightstations built by the early 1900s protected the 144 miles of the Jersey coastline for generations. They served the state’s fishing industry, were part of the defense line in World War II, and were an integral part of New Jersey’s shipping and commerce sectors.

Today, roughly only half of them survive and even less are open to the public.

Each year, the challenge dares New Jerseyans to visit each of the state's 12 historical, maintained nautical sites and purchase a $2 challenge souvenir at each. Those who visit all 12 during the two days will receive a complete souvenir and be entered into a drawing to win $1,000.

Here's a look at five of the lighthouses you can check out this weekend during the challenge. To learn about all 12 and how you can visit, head to lhchallengenj.org.

While the original Fresnel lens was lost, the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens committee was able to find a similar lens in an online auction, from an Australian lighthouse dating from 1920 to 1970. The lens is on display for educational purposes. ~File photo

Cape May Lighthouse

The Cape May Lighthouse, built in 1859, is the Cape May Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC)'s most popular attraction and one of the most visited historic sites in the state, garnering 2.5 million visitors since it opened to the public in 1988.

At the summit of the 199 steps of the Cape May Lighthouse, visitors can see the Atlantic Ocean, Delaware Bay, Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal and up to the Wildwoods.

“Some people view the Cape May Lighthouse as a spiritual experience since there is this notion that this structure was there to save lives," said Michael Zuckerman, director of the Cape May MAC in a 2015 My Central Jersey article. "This tall tower of this beaming light has helped thousands.”

The view from the Twin Lights Lighthouse in Highlands.(Photo11: ~File photo)

Twin Lights Lighthouse

The Twin Lights Lighthouse is one of the highest points of the Eastern seaboard at 200-feet above sea level, granting it views of New York City, the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding beaches.

About 80,000 to 90,000 people visit the lighthouse annually, and it's free to climb. However, there are donation boxes, which Mark Stewart, secretary of the executive board of Twin Lights Lighthouse in a 2015 My Central Jersey article, are "filled every day."

Plus, he said, “there is different view from every angle, which tells the stories of beach erosion, World War II and Cape May Point.”

From the top of the Absecon Lighthouse’s 228 steps, there is a 360-degree view of Atlantic City.(Photo11: ~File photo)

Absecon Lighthouse

From the top of the Absecon Lighthouse’s 228 steps, there is a 360-degree view of Atlantic City. It is also the state’s tallest lighthouse and the third-tallest in the country.

Jean Muchanic, executive director of the Absecon Lighthouse, built in 1857, said in a 2015 My Central Jersey article that comments in the Absecon Lighthouse guestbook are often “amazing,” “fantastic,” and “had no idea how beautiful this would be.”

“It’s just something that fascinates people and they do find them to be beautiful and be beacons of hope,” she said. “What’s neat is that there are some kids who are 3-, 4- or 5-years-old and are telling their parents that they want to see a lighthouse.”

Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. Its main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeeper's catwalk.(Photo11: Peter Ackerman/Staff Photo)

Barnegat Lighthouse

Once regarded as one of the most crucial "change of course" points for coastal vessels, Barnegat Lighthouse now offers visitors a panoramic view of Island Beach, Barnegat Bay, and Long Beach Island after climbing 217 steps.

When it lit in 1859, the lighthouse assisted vessels bound to and from New York along the New Jersey coastline to avoid the shoals extending from the shoreline. The swift currents, shifting sandbars, and the offshore shoals challenged the skills of even the most experienced sailor.

Nine years ago, the lighthouse was lit once again when a new Coast Guard-approved lens was installed, which creates a single beam that can be visible for up to 22 nautical miles, after the original was removed 82 years prior. The original lens is still on display down the road at the Barnegat Lighthouse Historical Society's Museum.

The light at the Sea Girt Lighthouse begins to shine at sunset.(Photo11: ~File photo)

Sea Girt Lighthouse

The 122-year-old Sea Girt Lighthouse's beam could once be seen from 15 miles at sea as it guided countless mariners in their journeys, contributed to the state’s economic growth and helped make sailing through local waters safer.

The Sea Girt Lighthouse was also the state's last live-in lighthouse built on the East Coast — a tower was built into the structure's living quarters.

Here, visitors can see the keeper's office, the lighthouse home, artifacts from the various lighthouse keepers and their families as well as other historic artifacts from the Sea Girt Lighthouse's heyday.